To Understand
by LeaD
Summary: To understand the present and/or the future one must understand the past. Meryl and Millie have a past that could make or break a person. Meryl barely remembers while Millie has forgotton. Then suddenly a 14-yr-old version of Meryl shows up! Huh?!?!
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own Trigun and this fic has been nagging my brain for sometime now so please be nice! The timeline?  Ten months after the final fight.

"I'll say it again! What is it that you want from me?" The tall brunette had her gun ready to take aim.

"It isn't you I want..." His gaze turned to the shorter of the two females, who was busying herself at her desk on the other side of the office typing up the last of her reports. "It's her I want." The figure said turning his gun at the female's head and he pulled the trigger. Surprising she had tilted her head at the right angle letting the bullet penetrate the wall behind her.  She stood calmly with her back still to the two. 

"Millie, I have an order ready at the store down the street for this week's groceries. Go get them for me please?"

"But..."

"Just go!" Her voice held more authority to it and despite the height difference. Millie stood there hesitantly for another moment before walking out and sprinting to the store so she could get back quicker.

"You were the one who sent the letter?" She asked picking up her cloak casually keeping the derringers inside concealed still.

"Not my, but my boss."

"I see..." She put the cloak on and took a few steps forward but the gun was aimed at her.

"You ran away from us Project AP..." He said and she frowned.

"I didn't run..." She said slowly. "I went to school. I made something of myself."

"You should return." He said. She licked her lips.

"If I refuse you kill me?" She asked gaining no answer. She saw something move outside meaning Millie was back already but wouldn't move.

"You'd die anyway... you and your friend."

"You leave Millie out of this... Unlike me she has no memory of what happened to us back then and my memories are still fuzzy. Compliments from my father I suppose."

"People will find out you aren't human." He lowered his gun and tore off the sleeve of his shirt. On his shoulder tattooed in black ink was a rose. "Like myself."

"You, Millie and I are nothing alike! You are a clone made from my DNA and I'm sure you've got a brother made from hers...."

"Clone? What a cruel word."

"It's what you are!" She opened her white cloak and pulled two derringers out and shot him quickly... too quickly to aim for anything vital and managed to cripple his right arm.

"Stupid, bitch!" He yelled getting ready to pull the trigger but the bag of groceries came flying in through the window and Meryl sprinted off running.

"Run, Millie!" Meryl yelled and she sprinted off. They got to a saloon and they took two of the five horses lined up outside and took off ignoring the protests they were getting.

"AP1 and AP2... you'll never get away."

            Hours went by and the two females rode until they were just outside of a town... the town Vash had stolen off to just before the remnants of the ship fell to the ground. They sat down and decided to take a break. Millie searched through the bags that the men had left on their horses hoping for some sort of food. Luckily she found some emergency rations. They sat in silence eating the food. Meryl sighed wondering how long it would take for Millie to ask what had happened and wondered how much longer she would be able to lie to her partner.

"Meryl…"  Millie spoke slowly. "What had that man meant when he said he wasn't human and what do we have to do with it?"

"Millie… It's a long story one that I have forgotten most of and one I don't want you to remember." Meryl spoke keeping her gray eyes on her food knowing if she gazed up she would see confusion all over Millie's face.

"Why?"

"It's just that… You and I met long before the Bernadeli job. Something happened to us many years ago and well… It's just best if we both forgot about it…" 

"Idiot…" 'Vince' muttered for the twelfth time in the past five minutes while watching his brother Eriks cry over a box of doughnuts. 

"Want one?" Eriks stopped feeding his face long enough to offer Vince a doughnut. Vince declined and looked away to stare at all of the spiders. He watched them all in disgust silently cursing his brother. The idiot should've just killed him, and then he wouldn't be here injured still and unable to do a thing about his disgust for those creatures. 

"You really should just get to know AT LEAST one of them. They're not as bad as you seem to think." Eriks said in between bites almost as if reading his brother's mind. Vince threw a look at his brother that clearly stated that he had no intention of 'getting to know' those beings and he was only tolerating them because he was injured still. Although secretly he had no true intention of killing them just yet, only to see why his brother is so attached to such an inferior species.

"That hit the spot." Eriks smiled his bright as the double suns grin. "And I think it's time you go to see Dr. Shenanigan about those injuries, Vince!" Eriks stood the same time Vince had… Amazingly his legs healed quicker than his arms so the man was still disabled for a bit. They walked past the monument which had once been the ship SEEDS.

"Why do you insist I let that inferior woman touch me?" Vince looked at the ship but his steps did not slow.

"Because... She's a better doctor than I am!" He said

"Hi Vas… err Eriks!" Eriks looked at the receptionist and smiled at the brunette who was so deeply infatuated with him. "Vince is here for his weekly check-up?"

"Of course!" Vash said taking a seat in the waiting room while Vince leaned against the wall watching everyone in the room. There were too many people there and they were all annoying in his eyes. He glanced at his brother and wasn't surprised when he had his headphones in his ears tapping to whatever he was listening to.

"You can sit if you like…" A child no older than twelve politely offered the seat next to her. She jumped a bit when the electricity in the room flickered soon followed by thunder. The rain wasted no time following. The child then turned her eyes to a book she found on the table in the waiting room. 

The people that had been there before Vince had gone in for whatever their reasons were and left. Vince's patience was wearing thin as she stood in the doorway still waiting for his name to be called. Just when he finally decided to sit down the door flung open and a tall brunette was standing there dripping wet and seemingly crying while carrying another being in her arms.

"I NEED TO SEE THE DOCTOR IMMEDIATELY!" She yelled drawing attention herself. Even his idiotic brother Eriks had taken off his headphones to see the girl standing in the door way.

"Insurance girl?" He asked gently.

"PLEASE I NEED TO SEE THE DOCTOR! MY FRIEND'S HURT!" Her voice cracked and now it was noticeable that her hands had faint traces of blood on them and more was seeping through the brown cloak her friend was covered in. The nurse had gotten up from her seat at the desk.

"Come with me." She told her and the tall woman followed her to a room and set her friend on the table. The nurse proceeded to remove the brown cloak she was covered in and instructed another nurse to go get the doctor. Millie watched as the nurse undressed her friend and gasped at the wound in her abdomen. The doctor came in shortly after. Then instructed another nurse take Millie into the waiting room, and get her something to drink and a blanket.

"No I want to stay with Meryl!!" Millie fought the male nurse that was pushing her out of the room. When the door closed after Millie looked the male nurse in the eye. He was as tall as she was but had twice the muscle. "If you know what's good for you, you better let me back in there." She threatened.

"I'm sorry, Miss, but I can't." The nurse said half amused that she threatened him. 

"Let me back in!" Mille pulled her gun from out of nowhere.

"Miss, I can't do that." The nurse said. "Please put that away. You're frightening the other patients…" He grabbed her gun gently, only to be found on the floor after her fist made contact with his face.

"Let me back…" She was ready to strike him again when a hand grabbed hers.

"Stop that… All that screaming won't help." A voice said. Millie whirled around to look at the person who stopped her and gasped slightly.

"Mr. Vash?" Her voice was barely audible.  She looked into his green eyes and frowned, before her face changed and she began to cry into his chest. Everyone watched in either confusion or fright, everyone but one person who was mildly entertained by the female spider with a violent streak. 


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I do not own Trigun and this fic has been nagging my brain for sometime now so please be nice! The timeline?  Ten months after the final fight.

"Why are we still here?" Vince asked mildly upset. He went ignored by the only two other people in the waiting room. His brother was off in la-la land and wasn't tapping happily to whatever he was listening to and the violent female spider was staring into her cup of coffee snapping at anyone who bothered her… especially the male nurse from before who had an icepack to his face. The suns were beginning to rise and the female showed no signs of fatigue taking over. Then suddenly crashes from the room where Meryl was brought everyone to attention. Millie grabbed her gun and opened the door much to the dismay of several nurses.

"Meryl??" She question as an even shorter being clad in a doctor's outfit was standing in the corner looking over several papers. "Alright who are you?!?!" Millie demanded and the person lowered the clipboard. Both Vince and Eriks were astonished the person before them was like a mini Rem. Long black hair, a playful yet serious look to her… but she was short and had grey eyes.

"Well, it seems that your friend will be just fine. She should be waking up within two days!" 

"Aren't you a bit young to be a doctor?" Eriks asked.

"Well, the doctor was pissing me off with all that poking and prodding at me. I mean a person appears form nowhere and suddenly I'm a guinea pig. So after some persuasion the doctor took a nap… in the closet."

"Appears from nowhere?" Millie asked but the young lady then pulled two derringers from inside the lab coat. She shot off two shots. "Grab Meryl!" She yelled and a body came crashing though the window.

"You…" Millie's frowned deepened. "You were the one to hurt Meryl." She readied her gun but the mini Rem shot at the guy. 

"So you finally show what you can do…" He said.

"Whatever." The juvenile yelled shooting two bullets at the man. "Tall one, take Meryl out of here and somewhere safe."

"but her wounds…"

"They'll sustain trust me!" She pulled two more Derringers but the guy only jumped back out of the window. "Oh great… he's going to make me run!" The mini Rem sighed and jumped out of the window.

"What was that?" Eriks asked.

"Mr. Vash… we have to take Meryl out of here. That man followed us and is trying to kill us both." Millie said.

"Finally! I was becoming tired of running!" The fourteen year old sighed watching the man stop. Without another moment's hesitation he raised his gun and aimed at her head. "Well that's not very nice. Aiming a gun at a fourteen year old how rude!" She pouted.

"What fourteen year-old carries guns?"

"Me!" She tilted her head to the side and grinned before sticking out her tongue! He watched her in curiosity but didn't lower his gun. "What is it that you want with me?"

"Your life…" He said firing the gun several time as his target moved. She kept moving till he finally ran out of bullets. He pulled another gun on he by time he managed to aim she had two Derringers to his head.

"Kill me I kill you…" She said raising an eyebrow at him while smirking. "Or we could make it fun and…" She looked carefully at his hand seeing the muscle twitch in his arm and pulled the trigger sending a bullet through his head. No sooner than she had a major migraine mad its way into her head as flashes of images… no memories made it's way into her mind. "The bastard…" She groaned.

"Is she okay, Mr. Vash?" Millie asked the blonde when he left his room to check up on the short Insurance girl. The double suns had already set making it night two the insurance girls had arrived in town. Vash nodded a sleepy nod and fell asleep on the couch of his home.

"You know it's very rude to tie up a young lady." The fourteen year old girl pouted.

"Well, until you start talking you'll just have to stay there." Millie held to spoon in front of her face.

"I…" She opened her mouth. "I'm on a time limit here I have a few days to figure out things myself!" She kicked about only to have the spoon shoved in her mouth by Millie.

"Start talking and we might let you go." Knives muttered from the corner. "…One less Spider to deal with." He added with disgust. She stuck her tongue out at him the same time Millie glared at him.

"Listen, it's going to sound insane… but I am Meryl Stryfe." She said knowing all eyes were on her. "I don't understand what's going on, neither does the full adult version of myself but… we do know that when she is out of commission I am around to make things right." She said lowering her head but then had her chin jerked up by Millie. Millie tucked her long hair behind her ears and saw indeed the face was the same as Meryl's.

"Explain!" She demanded.

"I… I can't." She whispered. "I remember an accident… and I remember a laboratory. I remember and something about Project AP." She whispered. "And voices… angry, violent voices."

"Project AP… That man was talking about it before you…"

"Killed him? No he's not dead… He'll be back to stop me from completing the holes in my memory."

"Say we do believe you…" Vash spoke from his spot on the couch surprising Millie who thought he had fallen asleep. "What happens to the insurance girl in there?"

"Well, I don't know… I told you there were holes in my memory. I'm not sure of anything, just that she wants to remember something bad and won't do it herself. Her injury just provided a door way for me." Meryl said slowly trying to hide the sadness that welled up inside of her but sniffles from the older, more mature and under control Meryl indicated the female was crying. The teenaged girl lowered her head. 

"I see…" Vash sighed making knives send him a strange look before glancing back at the teenager. 

"Mr. Knives you should eat something as well." Millie spoke to knives who looked at her then at the teenager

The girl looked like Rem so much… it was possible Vash became attached to the girl through the similarities. Then there was the tall spider, it was partly amusing to watch her become angry because it seems her nature is to be kind and naïve, but when she was mad she seemed unstoppable. Anger was something he wanted to coax out of her… and dammit he'll achieve that goal too! 

*~*~*~*~

Ack! I don't know about this chapter… I hope it came out okay… bye!


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I do not own Trigun and this fic has been nagging my brain for sometime now so please be nice! The timeline? Ten months after the final fight.

            The double suns were shining bright sending in it's warm bright rays into the small home that belongs to now known as Vince and Eriks or better known as Vash the Stampede and Knives Millions. Gently she stirred smelling something she had forgotten about mostly within the past two days… food. She raised her head before brushing honey strands out of her face.  When she was upright she squint her eyes a bit in the suns' rays and looked at the person cooking. She wanted to squeal in shock but pain in her neck made that cut short.

"Hold on a second. When I'm done cooking I'll rub your neck. I figured it would hurt with the way your tall body was hunched over." 

The teenager smiled at her, before going back to the stove. Millie turned her sore neck a bit and saw the ropes neatly rolled up on the chair. She glanced at knives… who seemed to be staring over her shoulder muttering words that sounded like 'idiot' or 'loser'… something along those lines. She looked at the window over Knives' shoulder and could've laughed. Vash who had been on the couch the night before was now sprawled out half on the floor the other half on the couch drooling rather heavily. Every now and again he would mutter something that sounded like 'flying doughnuts' or 'Salmon Sandwich'. Meryl let out a sad sigh and walked over to Vash poking him with her index finger. 

"Wakey, Wakey, eggs, and Bakey…." She gave a child like grin when his eyes popped open. "Well actually not eggs and bacon but eggs and ham…" She giggled when he stood and looked at her then the chair; he shrugged and stood up with his hair matted down instead of his usual spikes.

"Close enough." He muttered sleepily and he sat at the table with Millie and knives wiping away the drool with the bottom of his shirt. Meryl served them all breakfast but ate none herself while she rubbed the sore spot in Millie's neck.

"I'm leaving you know…" The teenager said gently slightly wondering if they'd care or not if she left.

"Why?" Millie asked.

"I must find out everything for my sake… both me here and the one in there." She motioned towards the bedroom.

"Do you even know where to start?" Millie asked innocently.

"I have an idea…" The teenager whispered. "A long time ago before Meryl took the job at Bernardeli; she met a scientist name Jacob. Jacob D. Wolfwood." She said as Millie stiffened under her grasp.

"Wolfwood?" 

"Yes… He was the one who gave me this mark." She turned her back to the group and lowered the shirt she wore showing a black rose tattoo on her right shoulder blade. She then fixed the shirt and picked up the doctor's lab coat she wore. 

"That man… had the same one on his shoulder."

"He was a clone." She said. "Originals have them on their shoulder blades." She said before flashing a happy smile. "I really should get going before he realizes I'm going to see the Scientist and decides to take him out."

"Someone should really go with you." Vash said in between bites ready to say something else.

"Thanks for volunteering brother…" Knives said knowing Vash was going to try and turn this around to make him spend time with the girl.

"Huh?" Vash asked.

"That's a wonderful idea. I'll be glad to know that Mr. Vash is taking care of the young Meryl." Millie grinned while Meryl frowned.

"You mean me and the blonde oaf?" Meryl asked frowning. "Whatever just be ready soon…" She scowled a bit before going to check up on her true self… the older Meryl.  She brushed strand of her bangs out of her face before smiling. "How you became attached to him I don't know…" She whispered.

"Would you stop humming already?" Vash asked gently not wanting to piss off the teenager.  He managed to do so once already and his head was still stinging from the blow

"I am… We're sleeping here tonight!" She stopped the horse she was riding on and unloaded the bag of stuff she had bought from the store. She began to pitch a tent, and made a fire humming the entire time. She was aware that Vash was watching… apparently trying to make sense of the confusion. She wasn't even sure yet, but she knew the Jacob dude would be able to help in one sense or another. "He has to be able to help…"

"Why do you put so much care in the unconscious?" Knives watched Millie brush out Meryl's bangs before turning on the blow dryer to dry it straight.

"She is my friend… I'm sure she'd try to do the same for me…" Millie let out half of the truth and knives sensed this almost immediately.

"Why do you put so much care into the unconscious?" He asked again.

"I already…" She looked at him then lowered her eyes and went back to the task of styling her hair a bit. "It's my fault she's hurt." Millie admitted. "You see Meryl and I were running from the man that had attempted to kill her the first time. So after we had stolen a couple of horses and eaten the food we had it was time to rest a little. We were taking shifts to watch out for the man knowing it had been way too easy. Just when it was my turn to take shift I had stayed on my post but then it began to rain. I had immediately become preoccupied with other thoughts and I hadn't seen the man creep up behind us. Before I knew anything I heard the gun shot go off and I had been slammed to the ground. Meryl was holding her stomach and I realized my mistake in it all. I aimed my stun gun at the man and he dodged it with ease. He laughed and said something about 'One AP project down one more to go.'"

"That's the thing with you spiders. So much compassion for others and it gets you killed. You Spiders just need to realize that and just understand that all of you will die because of this 'compassion'." Knives said bitterly. Mille tensed up as anger welled up inside of her. She hadn't believed it when she heard that Vash's brother had negative views on the way humans live but he was disturbing to her and it made her angry.

"Well, I guess it's easy for someone who had no compassion shown towards him from one of these 'spiders' to say such a thing."  Her voice came out bitter. She wasn't sure what brought up the quick temper in her but since the whole thing with Meryl she had been much too easy to tick off.

"I could care little for this compassion. My brother and I are superior to the pathetic human race, but he stupidly thinks he could easily blend in and live life as one of _you." _

"There is nothing wrong with the human race." She turned off the blow dryer and looked him in the face mildly mesmerized with how much he indeed looked like Vash but was different because of the cold smirk on his face. "Humans are intelligent beings that merely just try to live life one day at a time looking for a happiness that desperately needs to be filled. While in theory such a thing is preposterous and silly it is actually the only to live. TO define who you really are is how you affect the lives around. I'm sorry you do not understand that Me. Knives Millions!!" She said glaring at him while the corner of his mouth twitched a bit while he watched the fire in her eyes light up. 

He just turned from her and went back to his room closing the door behind him while taking off the bandages the doctor had put on. He inspected the gunshot wounds and saw that they had pretty much healed up… He stretched out his arms wincing slightly as pain shop up his right arm. That one was still tender but one arm was enough to handle a gun. A crash from the kitchen made him look at the door and muttering form the girl sounded. For that one moment he was hesitant about his plans on destroying the human race… Maybe if he observed this girl he could find a major flaw one bigger than compassion in humans and take them out quicker.

"Morning!" She chimed when Vash had set breakfast before her. She stared at before eating it and she smiled a little at him.

"Hurry up!" Vash stood up with his 'serious' face on. "We have a long ways to go!" He said letting his voice get deeper than usual. She shook her head and began to eat the food before her.

"I think we should split up when we get there…" She said to Vash who only frowned. "I mean what good looking older guy would be doing with a quirky fourteen year old?" She said playing up Vash while hiding her own motive. Vash of course took the compliment straight to the head and didn't hear the concealing tone she had.

"I am good looking aren't I?" He posed several times for her making her roll her eyes at him.

"Yeah… and I think we should get going. By time we get there the night life should just start waking up and it'll be party central." She said placing her utensils in a bag and proceeded to get onto her horse.

*~*~*~*~*~*~~*

Okay this came out shorter than expected but I guess I wanted to leave the real interesting fun for the next chapter so review okay?


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I do not own Trigun and this fic has been nagging my brain for sometime now so please be nice! The timeline? Ten months after the final fight.

            It was nightfall by time Vash and the delinquent Meryl had finally reached their destination. A Huge city called New Year. The place was full of lights and was very well populated. To get from point 'A' to point 'B' you would most likely need to get a car ride. Meryl sighed and tossed Vash the water bottle seeing his pitiful face to prove how dehydrated he was.

"Though I don't see the point of drinking it all... I'm going to bed and I'm fairly sure you're going to want to party and check out the girls." Meryl said.

"I'm not that type of guy. I like to get to know a girl before I decide to lay the 'Vash Charm on her'." Vash said but no sooner a girl had crossed their line of vision…A petite blonde with a huge upper body, if you know what I mean.

"Hey pretty lady how about you and me go out and have some fun." He said leaving Meryl's side almost immediately. Of course the girl eyed him before walking away. "oh come on don't just walk away. A Beautiful firecracker like yourself should have a body guard, you know someone to protect you from the lechers in the world." He seemed to almost plead with the girl.

"Get to know a girl huh?" Meryl rolled her eyes watching him pursue yet another young lady who passed by. "I'll be back." She said walking into one of several bars. She looked around for a couple of minutes before deciding to ask the bartender. "Excuse me sir…" She called out to the bartender who looked at her once.

"Bathroom's in that direction little lady." He said without glancing at her again. Meryl frowned a bit.

"I need some information…" She said but several brutes entered the bar and the bartender pointed out the bathroom once more before deciding to busy himself with the orders of the big men. Meryl frowned before walking back outside and saw that Vash hadn't given up on his sad attempts to get attention from the half dressed females around him. She watched him a couple of minutes longer before getting a bright idea. "I'll meet you right here in an hour, Vash!" She called getting thumbs up from the guy just before he noticed a doughnut store open and he took off. "That man…" She shook her head before a woman a bit taller than her walked by. "Excuse me miss… You have something on the back of your pants…" She said to the woman wearing thin skimpy top and tight black pants with black boots. 

"Where?" The woman began feeling around her pants trying to find that 'something'.

"No more to the left… no to the right… Uhmm if you don't mind let me get it!" She said to the woman leading her off to the side just before they disappeared into the shadows soon followed by a thud.

"Mr. Knives… just eat the food." She said to the man who only stared at the food before him. "You need to build up your strength in case we need to ship Meryl out of here. There's no telling when that man with the gun will come back."

"I don't know why you won't get the clue that I hate you and that disgusting spider in that room. I could care less what happens to either of you." He said.

"If that were true you would've killed the both of us within the past two nights." Millie spoke innocently. "I know you can't hold a gun yet but what about setting the house on fire… or drowning me in the tub, or stabbing the both of us with a knife. That would be kind of funny though. Mr. Knives actually killing someone with a knife." Millie giggled to herself. "But I also wanted to say that even if you don't care about me and Meryl I can handle us both but I worry about you since you still can't use a gun with that arm of yours." Knives were almost ready to say something to her but declined last minute and ate the food so it could fill his empty stomach. HE stood and walked across the room but stopped just when he passed the tall woman.

"I am superior to you. When you grow old and die I will live on in the image I am now. I suggest you don't worry about me and worry about how long it'll be before I decide to wipe this entire planet clean of you disgusting spiders. It's the only way to keep the butterflies alive without suffering." He told her.

"You really believe you are superior?" She asked him receiving no answer. "If you are superior then  you should be able to deal with your hatred of 'spiders'  without killing." Millie said looking at him knowing she had his attention, accidentally she knocked over her unopened container of pudding. "Killing us humans only will make you as bad as the man trying to kill both Meryl and Me. Heartless and useless… Meryl once said no one has the right to take another life so…"

"Save me the lectures for when you're at your dying breath and let's see if you think I shouldn't kill you after the torture." He said taking a couple of steps before crushing the pudding container. He looked at the substance in disgust…

"That was my last container and you wasted it!" Millie growled holding her stun gun up to the male. He looked at her before getting caught by one of her stun crosses. He was pinned against the wall and unconscious. Only after she saw him not move she began to panic he was still injured.

"Hey can't a girl get a drink around here?" A girl with long black hair that had been pulled into a ponytail asked batting her pink sparkly covered eyes at the bartender before running her tongue over her red lips.

"What'll it be small lady?" The bartender stared at her face a bit… he's seen it before but he simple shrugged.

"The best you've got…" She said seeing commotion in one corner of the room. She turned her back to the bartender who had been watching her every move. His eyes then fell onto a black rose tattooed on her shoulder… 'She's the one…'

"That rose..."  The bartender said when the commotion on the one side of the room picked up.

"You know…" She turned her back to him to watch a crowd surround one of the brawny men from before chugging down his drink while a hefty fellow tried to beat him.

"You see the man over there." He pointed to the brawny guy wearing a hat covering most of his face. "That there is my brother. He was the assistant to a man named Jacob D. Wolfwood."

"So tell me how does a gal like me get close to that barrage of brute?" 

"Why would you do want to do something like that?"

"I want to know the whereabouts of Wolfwood… Any clue would do right now." She said.

"Figaro is really picky about the women who get close to him…"

"I see…" She said standing up and walked over to the jukebox in the far corner of the bar and only a matter of a few feet away from the drinking game going on. She didn't see the bartender slip out of the room to the phone booth and picked up the phone.

"Who else wants to challenge me??" The big man known as Figaro said taking the money handed over by the hefty man he just beat. When he received no challenges he looked around the room searching for a victim.  His eyes then fell on a blonde man who was sitting by himself seemingly deep in thought drinking a whole bottle to himself. "How about you?" He pointed at the man who then turned his attention to the group that was watching him. His green eyes held confusion.

"Me?" The blonde pointed at himself.

"There's no other wimp drinking that fruity woman's drink…"

"I don't think this drink is very feminine at all…"

"Are you in or out?" One of the women near Figaro asked.

"of what?" 

"The game you idiot!" The woman yelled at him.

"Games I like games! Games are the best way to bring people together!" He said making Meryl in the corner shake her head. As soon as he sat down a glass had been set in front of him. "Thanks for the drink." He picked up the glass.

"It's for the game you idiot." He said just as two more were placed down. "Best out of three…" Figaro placed down a large sum of money.

"Oh right sure… but I don't think I have any money to place in this game."

"It's alright… I'll pay for you, Darlin'" Meryl came up behind the blonde wrapping her arms around his shoulders. She placed a decent amount of money on the table. "Now win it back for me and I'll do something extra nice for you." She said watching Figaro's eyes on her almost as if searching to place her face. She backed up as the woman of Figaro's smirked at the girl.

"One… Two… drink!" She said as both males picked up their glasses and began to down the drink. They both got through their first glasses rather quickly and set their hands down at the same time.  "Round two… One, two, three… Drink!" She said as they both picked up their glasses and downed it quicker and once again it ended in a tie. Figaro looked at the blonde whose face only held an innocent look to his face. The final round ended in a similar fashion. Figaro raised an eyebrow at the guy before laughing. 

"I can't tell if you're being an idiot with dumb luck or a guy who's had his share of drinking games." Figaro said.

"A little bit of both I suppose. Had a friend who was big on drinking once… whenever he managed to get his hands on any liquor I'd get dragged into it." He said as two more drinks were set in front of him.

"Got to win the girl's money back if you really want that extra nice thing…"

"It seems like I might I hate to be in debt to anyone." 

"The Final round… all players must down all three drinks before their opponent." The woman said.  "Go!" She said and both males grabbed their drinks and guzzled them as quickly as possible. The first glass was gone and the second was quickly forgotten… When it came down to the final cup everyone held their breaths. The third and final glass had been set down and the challenger won. The gasps of shock went about the table and Figaro shook his head. "You really are something…"

"The name's Vash." Vash finally introduced himself just as music started and the attention left the table quickly and moved to the bar. On top of the bar had been Meryl… dancing and quite unclean too for a juvenile. Many men whooped and cheered the short female on, unaware of her age, as she got on all four waving her tail in the air. Figaro watched the girl with mild interest until something caught his eye. He blinked once… twice… a third time… was he seeing things? He then saw Vash next to him move… his jaw was practically hitting his knees. He looked back at the girl on the bar. Her hair was now free from the ponytail and was trailing down her back. Vash then stood and yanked the girl off the bar.  She flailed about and neither noticed that Figaro was muttering something to  one of his group members. 

"This is not the way you handle a woman!" She screamed.

"What did you think you were doing?"

"Trying to find out about Dr. Wolfwood."

"By dancing up on bars?!?" 

"Not that it should matter to you Mr. 'I like to get to know a girl before deciding to lay on the charm', but yes. I managed to find out that the Figaro guy used to be an assistant to Jacob Wolfwood. I had to get his attention somehow."

"And you did a pretty good job of that." The muscular man said. "He wishes to meet with the young lady." She turned to Vash with a smirk before walking off to follow the guy.

*~*~*~*~

Review please!


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I do not own Trigun and this fic has been nagging my brain for sometime now so please be nice! The timeline? Ten months after the final fight.

"This way please." The brawny male led Meryl and Vash to Figaro's quarters. Meryl shivered a bit as a breeze from an open window passed by. Before she could blink she had been wearing the red jacket Vash was wearing (Not THE red coat... just a regular jacket). She looked up at him and shook her head when she saw the stupid smile plastered to his face… and yet it was comforting. She nearly bumped into the man when he stopped. 

He opened the door and Figaro was inside of beautifully furnished room. It had some sort of tile of the floor and the walls were painted white. Columns supported the ceiling to the room. There was a huge window on one side that opened up to a balcony. The room itself seemed unreal… almost as unreal as the music coming from the very fancy piano. The whole setting was unreal… almost like something she had seen in a dream once… a dream from a long time ago; and the tune…  
"That song…"

"It's an old song." Figaro spoke. "It's called Fur Elise…" 

"I have heard that tune before…" She whispered.

"Are we going to talk about music all day or are we going to talk about something interesting?!?!" Cash nearly complained.

"My brother tells me there is something you wish to know." Figaro asked not stopping the movements of his hands once. The door closed behind both people and the man was gone. 

"You see… I am Meryl Stryfe, and-"

"Is that what you were told?" Figaro's voice came out smooth and gentle. It was almost strange to see such a brawny tough guy settle down to play such old music.

"Huh?"

"Just continue on with the story."

"Well, you see a man is out to kill both me and my friend... Millie Thompson. He was sent to retrieve project AP… I know I have something to do with that project… but it's all fuzzy." Meryl said feeling a lump in her throat grow. "I have heard you were the apprentice of Jacob D. Wolfwood, and-"

"You are Project AP…" Figaro spoke slowly. "Project AP was an experiment to extend the life-span of human beings. Unfortunately a man, who is only known as Alex now, could not slow down the lifetime of his daughter. His little girl had been in some accident and he needed time to fix her injuries. Apparently the woman he had been engaged to did not like the idea of having her only daughter prodded at like an alien. So they fought. Eventually The woman took her daughter and vanished from his life leaving him to make clones of Project AP so he could perfect it and save his little girl  from the suspended animation she had been placed in."

"But I wanted to ask about Jacob Wolfwood's loca-" A gun shot was heard and Figaro finally stopped playing the piano as his body slumped up against the keys making an awful sound. The beautiful room around them began to flicker before the beauty turned into nothing more than dusty boards. "Figaro?" She asked. "Vash, I think he's hurt! Vash??" She looked to the tall blonde who was glaring heavy daggers at the window with his gun aimed there. 

"You pull that trigger and I'll pull my trigger."

"What?" She went to turn her head.

"Don't move!" He warned her.

"Vash, what's…?"

"I suggest you listen to the guy." Figaro choked out looking at a glass on top of the dusty piano. She looked there too and saw the reflection of a guy with a black hood on his head.

"You wouldn't do that, Vash the Stampede. If anything you'd attempt to save her leaving an opening to kill you and then I can kill her."

"Why is it that no matter where I go people always call me that $$ 60 billion double dollar outlaw?!?!" Vash began acting childish as tears flowed from his eyes and he paced around the room, making the three beings stare at him. Finally the man in the window decided it would be best if he took this moment to take out the shorter of the two girls. He aimed his gun quickly and pulled the trigger. Meryl's body collided with the floor as Figaro took the hit. She quickly stood up and took careful aim with her derringers but Vash had pulled the trigger before she had and the body hit the floor while blood poured from the wound in his hand and shoulder.

"We have to go…" Vash said yanking the hood of the man's head… It was the bartender from downstairs.

"Meryl…" Millie wiped away the sweat from the adult version of her friend. It didn't take a genius to know something was wrong because the female was whimpering in her sleep and her face was flushed as if her heart was beating 50MPH. "I hope Mr. Vash is taking care of you…" She whispered.

"The idiot would probably shoot himself in the head before he let anything happen to her." Knives' voice made her jump a bit.

"Mr. Vash has said it himself: 'I disapprove of suicide more than anything.'" 

"Which means your friend will be okay." He said watching the taller woman sigh. 

She turned her gaze to look around the room. Despite how many times she had been in the room to make sure Meryl was clean and well she had never really looked the place over. It was a little plain. The walls were made of concrete. He had a dresser full of his clothes a small chest at the end of the bed. His closet was on the other side of the room slightly ajar proving that he did indeed own more than one red coat. And hanging by the closet was a picture. She stood to inspect the picture and gasped immediately. She then glanced at Meryl and sucked on her lower lip.

"Amazing how much your friend looks like that woman there." He noticed Millie's reaction when she looked at the person. "Her name is Rem Saverem. You should be lucky she was aboard the ship before it crashed, otherwise none of you disgusting spiders would exist now." He said nearly frowning as tears made their way down Millie's face. Millie wiped them away thinking he hadn't seen them and she went back to wipe Meryl's face off before brushing her bangs. All of which took longer than usual because her hand wouldn't stop trembling. She finally set the brush down and traced the lines of Meryl's face.

"Meryl you've been my friend for so long… And it's my fault everything went wrong to begin with…" She sighed. "I'm really sorry, Meryl, for it all."

"Vash, you could've at least put me on the horse properly." She had her face buried into his chest as he concentrated on their location… 

 "Lina…" He murmured thinking of the city he had to go to… He couldn't go back there to see the pain stricken face of Lina.

"Vash you're suffocating me!!!" Meryl yelled as he seemed to only push her face harder into his chest. She felt him trembling as hot tears rolled down his face. "VASH THE STAMPEDE IF YOU DO NOT LET ME GO I'LL HAVE TO HURT YOU!!!" She yelled and his grip loosened. "I have to tell you something, Vash…" Her voice was soft almost as if she had a secret to tell.

"Tell me what exactly?"

"This does not look right… The both of us on one horse and I'm facing you…" She pointed out.  "Changing positions wouldn't help much either so I suppose…" She sighed placing her head against his chest.

"What are you…?"

"I'm going to sleep what does it look like you blonde oaf. Besides I'm only fourteen… I think it would be wrong to mess with a guy your age…" She said before giggling. "Although I don't doubt it would fun and stir a lot of trouble." She said before falling asleep missing the stupid look plastered to Vash's face.

                He shook off the feeling of weirdness off and began to think as he headed in the proper direction. His thoughts went out to everything. That man Figaro had died but not after telling them the location of Jacob. He even provided a reason why he wasn't with the man… the clones were running loose and if the both of them were found they'd both be dead… He was to act as a decoy which he had done. The Bartender apparently had been paid a great sum of money to keep watch on his brother to find out where Jacob and knew the AP's would search for him.  Meryl, of course, angrily began jumping on the poor bartender like a trampoline probably breaking a few vital bones. Vash then grabbed the female and quickly hoisted her onto the horse not caring too much about the details for the time being and hopped on taking off not waiting for a confrontation.

"Meryl…" He murmured looking at the adolescent. 

She was very different from the Meryl he knew. Sure she was still violent and didn't hesitate to hit him when he did something stupid, but the younger Meryl had a wild streak to her…. But wouldn't that mean the older Meryl had once been this way? So wild as to do a bar dance for several men, coming up with sexual innuendos… the girl really hadn't hesitated with the bar dance though and could she gyrate those hips of hers. The more he thought about it… she seems to be so comfortable when it came down to sexuality and all… but the Meryl he knows oh so well would probably huff up, turn red then his him for even insinuating such a thing.

"Meryl…" He shook the young girl she murmured something that sounded as if she said he smelled like Vanilla. He sighed before picking up both of their bags.

He was going to tell the girl they had arrived but she was so out of it he just pulled her body off the horse and carried her. It was dark and most people were either at the saloon or at home. He made his way to the end of the city and found the house he was looking for. He was pretty sure both females were awake gabbing away about the day's events. He knocked on the door and heard the chatter stop.

"Lina go get the door." Sheryl's voice came from the other side of the door and the sound of her boots neared the door before stopping. The door opened and the girl inspected the two before gaping. His hair was longer than from when she had cut it but it wasn't as long as it had been when they found him.

"Eriks…" She whispered as Vash's smile increased at ten fold.

"Long time no see!!" 


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I do not own Trigun and this fic has been nagging my brain for sometime now so please be nice! The timeline? Ten months after the final fight.

                She walked into the saloon with her head bopping to the music of the headphones she swiped. She giggled to herself a bit as she ignored the stares she was getting. She sat at the bar and the bartender handed her a glass of water. She thanked him and went back to bopping her head to the music. If she knew him he'd probably be sitting in the house plotting on the easiest way to kill either her and her friend… or at least pretending to plot on the easiest way to kill them. She trusted him to not do anything especially if he cared for his brother at all.  She sat a little bit longer while contemplating her predicament. Meryl was off running around trying to remember a past that makes her abnormal… but some things that have been going on for the past two days has brought the memories rushing back sooner and well, she remembered it all… and she just knew Meryl was going to blow her top when she finally got every last detail.

"Bye, now!" Millie stood leaving the saloon and trudged back to the home she had left. She entered the home and saw him sitting in the corner of the room trying to glare holes into the walls. She looked at him for a moment before turning up the music louder then went into Vash's room to take care of Meryl.

"…" Knives looked at the door that swung shut. She… She had been acting very differently since she had looked at that picture of Rem… almost as if she had been kicking herself.

                She pouted looking out of the window. Vash had insisted that she should rest and take a break since they had been traveling and she hadn't properly rested since the city they had been in chased them out of it. Of course that made everything perfectly okay for him to go out and get some food while the people in this city knew who he truly was and their trust for him was very little. 

"You shouldn't worry about him… he has a way of getting out of trouble should it follow him." Lina said.

"Of course he has a way of doing so. What amazes me is that he does it without killing anybody." Meryl said.

"He's always been one to get things done with as little damage as possible."

"Tell me something I don't know…"

"His body has scars all over it…"

"I know that too, and one of his arms isn't real and he has a twin brother."

"He does?"

"Oh yeah he does…" Meryl said watching the sun set. "Alright I say it's been at least five hours since he left and I'm bored! Is there any place I can go to hang out?"

"I suppose there's always the saloon. They won't serve us any alcohol but we can go and sit in on a game of cards or something…" Lina said thoughtfully.

"Let's do it then!!" Meryl stood up and removed the doctor's jacket she still wore and underneath that had been the outfit she wore to the last bar she went into. Lina looked at her funny. "Are we going on not?" 

"Grandma! I'm going to show Meryl around the city we should be back shortly!" Lina called to the older woman and they took off. As they walked down the street Meryl bopped to her own music as Lina gave her a funny look.

"Oh come on girl you mean to tell me you've never actually just danced because you felt like it. You know to the music in your own head?" Meryl asked laughing at the face directed towards her.

"No… People will think you're a lunatic if you do that?"

"Exactly the reaction I want to stir. You've got to loosen up girl! Have fun, do things you normally wouldn't only to shake things up a bit and start trouble!" Meryl yelled walking down the street. Suddenly some drunken fellow was thrown out of the bar. Lina and Meryl looked at the man as he uttered some obscene words. He then looked at the two females before a stupid smirk crossed his face with an ugly orange and green tie hung from around his head.

"Ladies! What brings you here?" He sighed

"You know… you shouldn't really drink, Vash." Meryl stood there with her hands on her hips taping her foot. He sat up and laid back down on the ground. "He's so going to be sick when he decides to come to…"

"I don't think with our combined strength we can carry him back…" Lina pointed out only to find the doors to the saloon swing open.

"Oh come on you mean to tell me a cute girl like me can't walk into a saloon where a really party's going on?" She asked getting several odd stares form the men and women who were sitting around playing cards and drinking as much booze as possible for the evening. "Hmm…" She thought and went up the man who plays the piano and she requested a song.

"What is she doing?" Lina asked looking through the saloon doors unaware that a drunken Vash was mildly paying attention. Lina could only giggle when the female started to perform for the group gaining more and more odd stares before a few people began to appreciate her music. It was an old song… really old.

"So… On the first night a pebble falls to earth from somewhere." The worlds left her lips so easily… She had known that song from when she was very young… "So… On the second night the pebble's children hold hands and sketch a waltz. Sound life."

"That song…Rem." Vash behind Lina began to cry his eyes out making Lina give him a funny look. His tears only seemed to pick up as the song continued. When the song ended several people began making requests for other songs.

*~*~*

"I can't believe you did that!!!" Lina giggled looking over her shoulder at the couple of men Meryl had convinced to help her carry Vash back to the house since he eventually just passed out completely.

"Yeah well, it just happens sometimes. I get an urge to do something and I usually do. Unfortunately it's a trait that goes away with age." 

"Well don't ever lose that pretty voice of yours young lady." One of the guys carrying Vash said. Lina opened the door to the house.

"I'll try not to…" She said stepping aside so the men could set Vash down on the couch where he stayed.

"Hey, Meryl…" Lina stopped the girl before she disappeared into the guest bedroom. "That first song you sang? What was it?"

"I don't know the name of it… why?"

"Well, Vash started to… never mind." She said making Meryl shrug. She went into her room and continued to hum that song. After wrapping the doctor's coat around her again and she set her many derringers under her pillow she glanced at her reflection. She looked at her face and too felt the need to cry with the memory of the song playing faintly in her mind as she drifted to sleep.

_"Leave her alone! She's just a child!" A woman's voice yelled._

_"Don't you get it?!?! She's going to die! My pride and joy is going to die! I won't let her."_

_"But she's fourteen… the doctors said…"_

_"They said she'll suffer severe trauma… and chances of her pulling through is very slim."_

_"But don't test it on her!"_

_"Just leave! I'll do it alone then." He said ignoring the tearful plea that was sent her way._

_"I'll help… but do you really think it's wise?"_

_"Listen to me… I've worked this out completely! It will work…Don't you trust me?!" He said as his phone rang. He muttered a few choice words and answered it._

_"Meryl, honey… I don't know the complete details my dear but don't worry. All I know is that when this over with you'll be better physically but what it'll do mentally I don't know."_

"Dinner is ready Knives!" Millie called out and only got silence back as her answer. She giggled thinking he was probably still pouting in his room. 

He managed to eat her pudding which only made her stun gun him again out of anger. Only then she realized she must've hurt him since he was groaning in pain. She took him down off the wall and saw that she had managed to bruise him. She kept apologize fifty times a minute as she placed ice on the bruise she gave him while wondering where her temper came from, especially seeing how it wasn't like her.

 He then said something that offended her; so she hit him… well tried to and he easily evaded her blows. She continued to get mad with him and she had continued to yell at him and backed him up to the couch and they both slipped. She landed on him making him groan in pain once more, but this time is wasn't in his torso that got hurt… more like the 'family jewels' was introduced with his knee..

"Knives?" She asked hearing a door slam shut. She then heard footsteps come into the kitchen while she finished the final preparations. "Glad you decided to come…" Her voice was as chipper as always. "I hope you washed you hands!" She said and stood straight when she felt a presence behind her. It didn't feel right, not like the mildly cold presence of knives but cold as ice feeling. "Knives?" She turned around and a few feet behind her had been some one she'd never seen before. His hair was the same honey as hers and his eyes the same blue but they were a lot colder.

"Astral Projection 2, I presume?" He asked as her body began to tremble. Without warning the guy's hand reached out and wrapped itself around her throat cutting off her breathing passage. Her hand frantically seemed to search for the knife she had just been using but she only managed to knock it to the floor as well as anything else she had been cutting up.


End file.
